


america's favorite pastime

by acchikocchi



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: Gen, M/M, american movie classics, josh hamilton's idea of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-23 20:38:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8341933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acchikocchi/pseuds/acchikocchi
Summary: Doing this to a losing pitcher is murder.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this four years ago and completely forgot about it until I was going through my google docs today. I don't know either.

There's an honest-to-god cheering section out over right field, with fucking matching flags or some shit, chanting who the fuck knows what. It's probably a tour group; Josh hears they fly straight out of Tokyo to do this. Anyway, they go fucking crazy every time Ichiro steps up to the plate and did his prissy little sleeve adjustment shit, and even worse when he makes another ridiculous catch right under their seats and pretends like it was no big deal, cold as ice. 

The thing is, they go nuts over Yu, too; they give him a big ovation when he leaves the field in the fifth with a straight spine and set shoulders, very Last Samurai, even while the rest of the half-full stadium boos halfheartedly. Josh is so busy looking over his shoulder that he misses when Yu disappears from the field.

He wonders what Yu thinks about it, while they're all silently cleaning up after the game. Yu was a big deal at home, they all know that, so probably he's used to it, but was he ever cheered when he was losing? What the fuck would that even feel like, Josh wonders. He's betting pretty shitty.

He doesn't really notice the group when they go out to the bus, because there's always a few fans hanging around no matter where you go, and there's security so it doesn't really matter. But Yu stayed back to take the press conference and Josh doesn't put the pieces together until he comes out, flanked by his translator and some lackey and a security guy, and they mob him.

It's funny, Josh always thought the Japanese were supposed to be, like, polite or some shit. Doing this to a losing pitcher is murder. Security starts to push the most enthusiastic guy back but Yu's not even ignoring them -- instead he's smiling at them, nodding, signing the caps thrust at him.

There's only half a dozen all together, so Yu takes care of them pretty quick, still nodding, nodding, always lowering his head. As Josh watches through the window, squinting, he realizes that the edges of Yu's smile are tight.

Finally there's one last wave, and Yu's free, on the bus. He makes his way down the aisle without meeting anyone's eyes.

"The fuck are they doing," Josh says when Yu takes the seat beside him. It's meant to be commiseration, kind of, only it just makes Yu look at him, clearly not understanding. Josh doesn't know if it's what he said or why he said it.

Yu glances ahead a couple rows, where the translator -- Josh can't ever remember his name, Kazu or Kozu or something -- is sitting with one of the lackeys. But he doesn't do anything to get the guy's attention, and Josh isn't the most observant but he's kind of picked up on how Yu tries not to use the translator outside of official shit. Of course he's picked up on it because sometimes it's kind of impossible to communicate with Yu that way, but whatever.

"I mean," Josh says. "They were bothering you, right? You don't have to let fans mess with you."

Yu looks confused. "They know me -- _knew_ me," he corrects himself. "They like Giants."

For a second Josh thinks he means, like, they like him because there aren't that many tall Japanese guys. Then he remembers, right, Yu's old team. "Yeah, yeah, we know you were the shit." He gives Yu's shoulder a little punch. "It's cool. It's like. It's just one game."

He doesn't know why he said that because he hates it when people say shit like that to him. Yu nods, though, seriously, and repeats, "One game."

Back at the hotel, everyone splits up -- no one's going out tonight, it's too depressing on top of the jet lag. Josh still feels kind of bad about the one game thing from earlier, not to mention the crazy tourists. He looks at Yu and scratches the back of his head.

"So, uh," he says. "You wanna watch something? I've got, like, _Ghost Protocol_."

Yu looks startled, then confused. Just as Josh is wondering if this is somehow a weird cultural thing, his face brightens and he says, "Ah, _Protocol_ ," only with like three extra syllables in there somehow.

"Yeah," Josh says. "Protocol." The American way.

Yu nods his head, smiling, and says, with textbook fluency, "Thank you, that would be very nice."

This is what they teach guys before they come to the US? "Dude, you know no one talks like that in real life, right?"

"...Yes?" Yu says, after a beat. 

Josh says, "You are going to have no idea what's happening in this movie, are you?" Yu just looks at him. "Okay, come on, I'll summarize this shit for you."

 

Josh kind of sucks at summarizing, it turns out. Explosions are pretty self-explanatory, but it's possible that Yu's missing more of the movie trying to concentrate on what Josh is saying than because he doesn't get the dialogue or whatever. Oops. Whatever, Josh is helping them bond as teammates. Community service promoting American culture.

"So it was all a fake but they still can't be together, blah blah Tom Cruise passes the torch to ass dude so they can make another sequel," Josh concludes. "The end."

Yu nods, and smiles. "Very good," he says. "Thank you."

Josh leans back against the headboard, crossing his arms. "No prob."

Yu continues. "Tom Cruise, very... cool."

"Right," Josh says, not judging. Probably he is, in Japan. They've all seen those crazy ass game shows, probably jumping on a couch is normal everyday tv. "Okay, serious question." Yu looks at him, well, seriously. "Top Gun or Mission Impossible?"

It's an easy question, duh, everyone knows the answer is Top Gun, but it'll help Yu feel all assimilated and shit. Sure enough, Yu says, "Top Gun."

"Right?" Josh says, satisfied, but Yu's still talking.

"I haven't... saw?" He frowns. "Seen it."

It takes Josh a minute. Then he can actually, literally, feel his mouth drop open. 

"You've never seen Top Gun?"

Yu shakes his head.

"Why the fuck not?" Yu looks slightly taken aback. Josh isn't waiting for an answer. "Thank Christ you didn't admit this to anyone else. Jesus, do they censor your movie theaters over there? What the fuck, seriously." 

Yu just looks even more confused. As Josh is talking he's also getting up and flicking through the video folder on his Mac, queuing up the DVD rip. Yu understands that much, at least. He looks at his watch.

"Late," he begins, but Josh cuts him off.

"The fuck you're going back to your room. Sit down, shut up, and appreciate."

Josh thinks about letting Yu appreciate the majesty in silence, but about five minutes in he starts to narrate, because he's helpful like that, and because he kind of likes talking, honestly. At first he can feel Yu nodding along -- he really nods kind of a lot -- and making occasional sounds of... well, probably not understanding, but at least acknowledgement. Then the nodding tapers off, and gets jerkier, and Josh glances over and sees Yu watching the screen with slightly glassy eyes. 

Josh isn't really tired himself. Normally, this is around the time when he would start to think about how he much he wants a drink. He doesn't think that with any particular angst, just, normally he would, but he's busy so he's not. Good, they'll probably like that. It doesn't matter to him.

Around ninety minutes into the movie, something that feels an awful lot like Yu's head fall on his shoulder.

"Dude," Josh says. 

Yu doesn't move.

Josh turns his head, slowly. If he glances down at an honestly kind of painful angle he can see bleached hair. It's definitely Yu's head.

"Bro. You're on my shoulder."

No response. Yu's own shoulders rise and fall. Josh angles his head back a little more and gets a glimpse of Yu's face. He's definitely passed out.

Gingerly, Josh tries to work his shoulder out from under Yu's head. He gets about an inch and Yu makes a sound and his hand lands on Josh's knee.

"Okay," Josh says to Maverick and Iceman. "Sure. Okay."


End file.
